Iconic Balboa Park bridge re-opens

Workers from Disney Construction, the contractor performing a $38 million retrofit of the The Laurel Street Overcrossing/Cabrillo Bridge, remove the last of the traffic cones and barriers as the bridge was reopened to vehicular traffic on Monday.

John Gibbins

Workers from Disney Construction, the contractor performing a $38 million retrofit of the The Laurel Street Overcrossing/Cabrillo Bridge, remove the last of the traffic cones and barriers as the bridge was reopened to vehicular traffic on Monday.

Workers from Disney Construction, the contractor performing a $38 million retrofit of the The Laurel Street Overcrossing/Cabrillo Bridge, remove the last of the traffic cones and barriers as the bridge was reopened to vehicular traffic on Monday. (John Gibbins)

Balboa Park’s Cabrillo Bridge re-opened to vehicles Monday afternoon, five months after the launch of a $38 million renovation project limited access to pedestrians and bicyclists.

The renovations, which aim to spruce up the 100-year-old bridge and help it better withstand earthquakes, are only about halfway done, city officials said.

But construction crews have accomplished enough to allow traffic to resume on the 769-foot bridge, an extension of Laurel Street that provides convenient access to the park for residents in Bankers Hill and Hillcrest.

Flanked by three dozen construction workers, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and City Council President Todd Gloria hailed the bridge renovation Monday as a key project for San Diego.

“This is a very significant step forward,” said Faulconer, speaking to several dozen people gathered to watch the bridge re-open to cars. “This iconic structure has gotten some much-needed attention.”

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In addition to the seismic upgrades, the bridge is being repaved, its sidewalks are being repaired and lights will be added to its underside later this year — creating a visual spectacle for motorists on state Route 163.

“Just think about lighting the bridge for the first time ever and what that will look like,” Gloria said.

The renovations will be complete in time for the centennial celebration of the Panama-California Exposition, an elaborate festival the park hosted in 1915 and 1916. The bridge, which is modeled after similar structures in Spain and Mexico, was built for the event.

Gloria thanked the patrons of nearby museums for their patience since the vehicle ban went into effect on Jan. 2. He said it was important to put the inconvenience into perspective, explaining that the upgrades are expected to lengthen the life of the bridge as much as 100 years.

Laurie Berman, a district director for the state Department of Transportation who joined Faulconer and Gloria at the press conference, compared the seismic retrofit of the bridge to renovating a turn-of-the-century house on a much larger scale.

Its seven 46-foot-wide arches, which rise as much as 129 feet above a canyon, will be tied together more sturdily with new connectors. In addition, more concrete is being sprayed on to the bridge’s pillars.

To mark Monday’s construction milestone, eight antique cars were the first vehicles allowed to cross the bridge when it was re-opened.

Michael Kelly, president of the Balboa Park Committee of 100, hailed the project Monday in a phone interview, calling the bridge one of the most important pieces of architecture built for the 1915 event.

Some park supporter groups have suggested that permanently closing the bridge to cars would improve the park’s ambience and attract more visitors. Others, such as the Save Our Heritage Organisation, have suggested the bridge be open to vehicles only during commute hours and other times when it’s most needed.

Faulconer and Gloria didn’t discuss either of those options on Monday.